Need advice on how to upgrade SSD

[brig2221]

I have a mid 2012 non-retina MacBook pro that I purchased at the beginning of 2013. I immediately took out the mechanical hard drive and replaced it with a Samsung Pro 840 SSD (256 GB), and put in 16 GB of RAM.

Computer is still running like a champ, but I'm just about out of hard drive space. I took a look on Amazon, and it looks like I can get a 500 GB Samsung EVO 850 for $179.00.

Given that it's been over three years, I can't remember the process for upgrading a hard drive. I obviously will need/want to transfer all the current data (files, photos, etc) from my current hard drive over to the new one, and I need to get Mac OS Sierra also loaded onto it.

I feel good about replacing and installing the physical SSD itself. That said, I'm hoping some of the helpful Mac pros out there can help me outline the specific steps I need to take here to make sure I get all the software moved over to the new drive correctly and how exactly I get Mac OS Sierra loaded onto it.

Thanks for all the help and responses in advance!

Edit: Do I need a transfer cable to do this, like the one linked below?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJZJI84/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Yes, that cable will do it.

Best steps would be:
Get new drive, plug into cable
Boot into recovery disk
Install OS onto it (not your internal disk)
Once complete, swap drives
Boot onto new SSD
Plug in old drive via cable and transfer

This will bring everything over, though some software may need the keys put back in after, so make sure you have that on hand.
Also, might be worth waiting till black friday if you can, you'll probably be able to get a terabyte for cheap.

 

[prisstratton]

Personally, I would put your new drive in an external housing or use a SATA/USB adapter kit. Plug the drive into your Mac via USB and prepare the drive. Format the drive as Mac OS Extended (journaled) and use a GUID partition scheme. Clone your internal (old SSD) to the new drive using Carbon Copy Cloner (the 30-day trial version will do what you need). Once the clone is complete, option boot your Mac to the freshly cloned drive to check that everything is working okay. If everything is fine, physically swap the drives. You are done. Now put the old SSD into the housing and use as you wish.

Edit: Just noticed the part about Sierra. No problem, continue as above and then apply the upgrade from the App. Store.

 

[Fishrrman]

Yes, that cable will do.
Actually, it should work as well as an enclosure, and take up less space if you carry it around.

As prisstratton wrote, use CarbonCopyCloner to "clone over" your existing drive's contents to the new one.
CCC will even clone the recovery partition, as well.

And -- it's FREE to download, and FREE to use for the first 30 days.
It will get the job done faster and more easily than any other method.

 

[SmilingSo]

I have just done what you want to do. And I am a nitwit when it comes to these things, but I managed on my own.
My MBP2009 was dead and my last resort was changing the HD.
SSD has changed everything, not only is my oldie alive again, BUT the starting up is done literally in seconds.
I read a lot of info but the most helpful one was:

http://randomnerds.com/upgrade-your-old-macbook-pro-to-retina-like-speeds-with-a-solid-state-drive/

The writer of the blog, Joe, is very helpful too.
I also bought the exact cable on Amazon and use 250 GB Samsung EVO 850. I wished I had done it years ago.

Just follow the steps, and when in doubt, ask. The best to you!